Publications by authors named "Sirbu I"

Key Clinical Message: Digital technology significantly enhances subperiosteal implantology by enabling precise presurgical planning based on CBCT scans. This technology reduces patient trauma and ensures optimal implant fit, presenting a promising alternative to traditional analogue methods.

Abstract: In the last decades, significant progress has been made in oral implantology, particularly with endosseous implants, primarily due to advancements brought about by the digital revolution.

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The use of biopolymers in pharmaceuticals is well established, particularly for encapsulating biologically active compounds due to their beneficial properties. Alginate, widely recognized for its excellent encapsulation abilities, is the most commonly used biopolymer, while starch, typically known as insoluble dietary fiber, also serves as an effective agent for trapping and protecting compounds during processing, storage, and gastrointestinal transit. Sodium alginate-starch capsules with varying compositions were analyzed to develop metformin hydrochloride (MET) containing capsules with adequate physicochemical properties.

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Background: Biological invasions pose an increasing risk to nature, social security and the economy, being ranked amongst the top five threats to biodiversity. Managing alien and invasive species is a priority for the European Union, as outlined in the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Alien plant species are acknowledged to impact the economy and biodiversity; thus, analysing the distribution of such species provides valuable inputs for the management and decision-making processes.

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Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) have seen an exponential increase in incidence, particularly among pediatric patients. Psychological stress is a significant risk factor influencing the disease course. This review assesses the interaction between stress and disease progression, focusing on articles that quantified inflammatory markers in IBD patients exposed to varying degrees of psychological stress.

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The global decline of freshwater mussels and their crucial ecological services highlight the need to understand their phylogeny, phylogeography and patterns of genetic diversity to guide conservation efforts. Such knowledge is urgently needed for Unio crassus, a highly imperilled species originally widespread throughout Europe and southwest Asia. Recent studies have resurrected several species from synonymy based on mitochondrial data, revealing U.

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(1) Background: Heparin-Binding Epidermal Growth Factor-like Growth Factor (HB-EGF) is involved in wound healing, cardiac hypertrophy, and heart development processes. Recently, circulant HB-EGF was reported upregulated in severely hospitalized COVID-19 patients. However, the clinical correlations of HB-EGF plasma levels with COVID-19 patients' characteristics have not been defined yet.

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The expression of GPCRs has been associated with schizophrenia, and their expression may induce morphological changes in brain regions responsible for schizophrenia and disease-specific behavioral changes. The articles included in this review were selected using keywords and databases of scientific research websites. The expressions of GPRs have different involvements in schizophrenia, some increase the risk while others provide protection, and they may also be potential targets for new treatments.

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Depression and vitamin D deficiency are often co-occurring pathologies, the common pathogenetic ground of which includes an augmented inflammatory response. However, the molecular details of this relationship remain unclear. Here, we used a bioinformatic approach to analyze GEO transcriptome datasets of major depressive disorder (MDD) and vitamin D deficiency (VDD) to identify the hub genes within the regulatory networks of commonly differentially expressed genes (DEGs).

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Odd ploidy-level cytotypes in sexually reproducing species are considered a dead end due to absent or reduced fertility. If sterility is only partial, however, their contribution to the population gene pool can be augmented by longevity and clonal growth. To test this, we investigated the cytotype origin and spatial pattern, and pollen viability in three relict shrub species of the genus (Thymelaeaceae Juss.

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Left ventricle remodeling (LVR) after acute myocardial infarction (MI) leads to impairment of both systolic and diastolic function, a significant contributor to heart failure (HF). Despite extensive research in the field, predicting post-MI LVR and HF is still a challenge. Several circulant microRNAs have been proposed as LVR predictors; however, their clinical value is controversial.

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Left ventricle remodeling (LVR) after acute myocardial infarction (aMI) leads to impairment of both systolic and diastolic function, a major contributor to heart failure (HF). Despite extensive research, predicting post-aMI LVR and HF is still a challenge. Several circulant microRNAs have been proposed as LVR predictors; however, their clinical value is controversial.

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Predicting the clinical course of Covid-19 is a challenging task, given the multi-systemic character of the disease and the paucity of minimally invasive biomarkers of disease severity. Here, we evaluated the early (first two days post-admission) level of circulating hsa-miR-195-5p (miR-195, a known responder to viral infections and SARS-CoV-2 interactor) in Covid-19 patients and assessed its potential as a biomarker of disease severity. We show that plasma miR-195 correlates with several clinical and paraclinical parameters, and is an excellent discriminator between the severe and mild forms of the disease.

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Background: The first permanent molar (FPM) is the first tooth in the permanent dentition that emerges in the oral cavity, at around the age of six and behind the deciduous teeth, thus converting the primary dentition into a mixed dentition. Its early formation represents a risk factor for the onset of hard dental tissues disorders, the most common being the molar incisor hypomineralization (MIH).

Aim: The aim of the study was to assess the hypomineralization type of developmental defects of enamel at FPM level during the mixed dentition stage, in a group of Romanian children.

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Prostate cancer (PCa) remains one of the leading causes of cancer mortality in men worldwide, currently lacking specific, early detection and staging biomarkers. In this regard, modern research focuses efforts on the discovery of novel molecules that could represent potential future non-invasive biomarkers for the diagnosis of PCa, as well as therapeutic targets. Mounting evidence shows that cancer cells express an altered metabolism in their early stages, making metabolomics a promising tool for the discovery of altered pathways and potential biomarker molecules.

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Due to the poor prognosis and the very high mortality rate associated with severe SARS-CoV-2 infections, various regimens have been tried to stop the evolution of the inflammatory cascade, such as immunomodulatory therapy and plasma clearance of the acute phase reactants involved. Therefore, the objective of this review was to analyze the effects of using therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE), also known as plasmapheresis, on the inflammatory markers of critically ill COVID-19 patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). A thorough scientific database search was performed, and it included a review of articles published on PubMed, Cochrane Database, Scopus, and Web of Science from the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 until September 2022 that focused on the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infections using plasma exchange for patients admitted to the ICU.

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Article Synopsis
  • - High mortality in severe COVID-19 is linked to elevated inflammatory markers, and therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) could help reduce these markers, although optimal protocols remain unclear.
  • - A study analyzed 65 ICU patients with severe COVID-19 who underwent TPE, finding significant decreases in inflammatory markers like IL-6 across all treatment groups, especially in those receiving more than 2 sessions.
  • - Despite some positive changes in inflammatory markers and increased leukocyte levels post-TPE, the overall mortality rate was very high (72.3%), with no significant survival differences based on the number of TPE sessions, indicating it may be a last-resort therapy.
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Xanthylium derivatives are curcumin analogs showing photochromic properties. Similarly, to anthocyanins, they follow the same multistate network of chemical species that are reversibly interconverted by external stimuli. In the present work, two new asymmetric monocarbonyl analogues of curcumin, 4-(4-hydroxy-3-metoxybenzylidene)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroxanthylium chloride (compound ) and 4-(4-hydroxybenzylidene)-6-methoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroxanthylium chloride (compound ) were synthesized, and their photochromic and biological properties were investigated.

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Fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) is a therapeutic method that aims to restore normal gut microbial composition in recipients. Currently, FMT is approved in the USA to treat recurrent and refractory infection and has been shown to have great efficacy. As such, significant research has been directed toward understanding the potential role of FMT in other conditions associated with gut microbiota dysbiosis such as obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome, neuropsychiatric disorders, inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, decompensated cirrhosis, cancers and graft-versus-host disease.

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: SARS-CoV-2 is the first global threat and life-changing event of the twenty-first century. Although efficient treatments and vaccines have been developed, due to the virus's ability to mutate in key regions of the genome, whole viral genome sequencing is needed for efficient monitoring, evaluation of the spread, and even the adjustment of the molecular diagnostic assays. : In this study, Nanopore and Ion Torrent sequencing technologies were used to detect the main SARS-CoV-2 circulating strains in Timis County, Romania, between February 2021 and May 2022.

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Background and Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, has surprised the medical world with its devastating effects such as severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and cytokine storm, but also with the scant therapeutic solutions which have proven to be effective against the disease. Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) has been proposed from the very beginning as a possible adjuvant treatment in severe cases. Our objective was to analyze the evolution of specific biological markers of the COVID-19 disease before and one day after a therapeutic plasma exchange session, how a change in these parameters influences the patient’s respiratory status, as well as the impact of TPE on the survival rate.

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The benefits of using biopolymers for the development of films and coatings are well known. The enrichment of these material properties through various natural additions has led to their applicability in various fields. Essential oils, which are well-known for their beneficial properties, are widely used as encapsulating agents in films based on biopolymers.

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According to the World Health Organization (WHO), as of June 2022, over 536 million confirmed COVID-19 disease cases and over 6.3 million deaths had been globally reported. COVID-19 is a multiorgan disease involving multiple intricated pathological mechanisms translated into clinical, biochemical, and molecular changes, including microRNAs.

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Background: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is one of the most common head and neck squamous cell tumors. MicroRNAs and DNA methylation, as epigenetic mechanisms, regulate the expression of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes, contributing to the carcinogenic development. However, the current knowledge on the genetic and epigenetic landscape of OSCC is still limited.

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Freshwaters are under accelerated human pressure, and mollusk communities are among its most sensitive, threatened, and valuable components. To the best of our knowledge, the overall effects of damming, environment, space, time, and invasive alien mollusk species, on structural and functional responses of native mollusk communities were not yet compared. Using historical information and recent data from a river, we aimed to investigate and disentangle these effects and evaluate the differences in structural and functional responses of natives and alien invasives to the same predictors.

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Responding to the need for additional biomarkers for the diagnosis of prostate cancer (PCa), mounting studies show that microRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) possess great potential as future promising diagnostic tools. However, the usefulness of these miRNAs is still highly debated, as the degree of inconsistency between study designs and results is still elevated. Herein, we present a meta-analysis evaluating the diagnostic value and accuracy of circulating miR-375, as it is one of the most studied types of miRs in PCa.

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